Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

Today the Midland Association of Retired School Personnel heard a presentation put on by some of the individuals who helped organize the recent high school reunion at the White House. See A High School Reunion to beat all High School Reunions, previously.

But the tables got turned on those former teachers. The speakers pulled a pop quiz with "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" questions.

Well, I was floored. Many of the questions were quite tough, but the teachers did remarkably well. Judging by these retired teachers, the Midland Independent School District has some very knowledgeable teachers -- let no one say otherwise.

Are you smarter than a 5th grader? See how well you would do. Answers at the end. No cheating -- it will go on your permanent record.

1. 5th Grade U.S. History -- Who was the first chief justice to the U. S. Supreme Court?

2. 5th Grade U.S. History -- Published in the 1780's, the Federalist papers were written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and what man who would later become a U.S. president?

3. 5th Grade U.S. Geography -- Which of the Great Lakes lies farthest East?

4. 5th Grade Measurement -- If you traveled two decameters and one hectometer, how many meters would you have gone?

5. 5th Grade Measurement -- How many watts are used during one kilowatt hour?

6. 5th Grade Cultural Studies -- The ancient region know as Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers") was bordered by two rivers. Name them.

7. World History -- Which Frenchman was the first European explorer to navigate the Saint Lawrence River in Canada? (The teachers couldn't get this one.)

8. 5th Grade Life Science -- How many incisors are there in a typical adult human mouth?

9. 5th Grade Health -- Of the 32 teeth in the typical adult human mouth, how many are bicuspids?

10. 5th Grade Astronomy Halley’s Comet is named after an English astronomer. What is his first name?

11. 4th Grade Geometry -- In a right triangle, the side opposite the right angle is called the what:

12. 5th Grade Music -- In the 1720’s, what man composed a series of violin concertos known as “The Four Seasons”?

13. 5th Grade Earth Science By definition, an anemometer measures the speed of what?

14. 4th Grade Cultural Studies -- Who was the Greek god of wine?

15. 5th Grade History -- What former US President was the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize?

16. 5th Grade Measurement -- How many pecks equal one bushel?

Answers:

1. John Jay

2. James Madison

3. Ontario

4. 120 meters (Decameter=10 meters, Hectometer=100 meters)

5. 1000

6. Tigris and Euphrates

7. Jacques Cartier

8. Eight (flat teeth in front on top and bottom)

9. Eight

10. Edmond

11. Hypotenuse

12. Vivaldi

13. Wind

14. Dionysus or Dionysos

15. Theodore Roosevelt (1906)

16. Four

So, how did you do? Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

Comments

[Redman]

I'd like to know how many of these things are being taught to 5th graders today?

[Geo]

Redman, this stuff is probably in the text books, but whether the kids learn is up to each individual. Then again, if we learned it in 5th grade but forgot it by adulthood, then was that time well spent?

[6th grade kid]

one kilowatt hour? Ppprrrrrrr!!!

[Ian Maxwell]

I wouldn't trust "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" to get questions like this right. For example, the question "How many watts are used during one kilowatt-hour?" is actually meaningless: there are 1000 WATT-HOURS in a kilowatt-hour, or 1000 watts in a kilowatt, but watts and kilowatt-hours can't be directly compared because they're measuring different things. It's like asking how many miles-per-hour it takes to get from New York to Boston.

The great thing about this is that while the given answer is wrong, it's exactly the sort of answer a fifth grader would give. So, if you are smarter than a fifth grader, you lose.

I know this because I know a lot of math and have studied concepts like dimensional analysis that are usually glossed over. On the other subjects I don't know as much, but I have to assume their track record won't be much better.